Death Grip of Back Spasms

A back spasm is one of the most painful life experiences for any person to endure. Muscle spasms
in the back can be truly horrific and debilitating.

I am intimately
acquainted with these unbelievably painful occurrences, since I suffered
with them for 18 years of my adult life. I guess that now I am lucky,
in a way, since my pain has become chronic, but is rarely acute and does
not seem to produce these devastating spasmodic flare-ups in recent
years.

This discussion provides an overview of spasms in the back and spine, including the potential causes and effective treatments for this agonizing condition. We will tackle this topic from a unique firsthand perspective.

Painful Back Spasm

A spasm is a powerful contraction or stiffening of the muscle. A
muscle spasm can occur due to a variety of reasons and can be a
terrifying experience, especially in the postural musculature.

When a muscle goes into spasm, the person is unable to stop the forcible tightening of the muscle and surrounding tissue.

Muscle spasms are designed to protect the injured area, by
limiting motion in painful tissue. However, for most back ache
sufferers, this protective process goes overboard and wreaks torture on
the poor patient for minutes, hours or even days.

Degenerative conditions thought to bring on spasms are usually very
serious and do not fall into the realm of the usual spinal aging
processes which we all experience. In most cases, these patients
demonstrate unstable spines due to very significant deterioration in the
bones, discs or overall shape and contour of the vertebral column.

In cases of injury, spasms may be induced by inflammation, nerve
damage or other reasons. Most spasms due to acute trauma will not
become chronic and should resolve as the initial healing period
commences.

Oxygen Deprivation Back Spasm

One of the most common reasons for muscle spasms to occur is from
ischemia.
This is the same process that occurs when a person experiences cramps
from continued muscular usage.

Long distance runners and other
endurance athletes are experts in dealing with this common side effect
of their sports.

Charlie horse cramps are also examples of ischemic
pain and are often experienced when a tired muscle is elevated.

This is
the reason for the high incidence of leg cramps in bed. The leg
muscles do not get the same amount of blood flow and suffer from a
deprived state of oxygenation.

Back muscles
are some of the biggest and strongest in the body. They work almost
constantly to maintain posture and balance. These muscles do not
fatigue easily, but are still prone to injury and oxygen deprivation.

Ischemic cramps in the postural back muscles can be so painful that the
patient may feel as if there is a life threatening problem in their
spine. The realty, however, is usually just a low oxygen level in these
painful muscles. It is a simple process that can have dire results.

Back Spasm Care

The horrible pain of a muscle spasm often drives most patients right
to their doctor or hospital for emergency treatment. This is often
unnecessary, unfulfilling and actually has the possibility of creating
the start of a long lasting
chronic pain condition
due to the nocebo effect which may be imparted during diagnosis or treatment.

In these cases, the doctor will often blame the pain on some coincidental
scapegoat
condition which is theorized to cause pain through the degenerative processes. This diagnostic
nocebo effect
may trigger a psychological pain syndrome. This
psychosomatic back pain
can possibly continue long after the original muscle pain has ended. The patient will not even know the difference.

There is no universal treatment for muscle spasms. Most acute
patients will be treated pharmaceutically, with a combination of oral
and/or injectable drugs. Anti-spasmodics, also called muscle relaxants,
are common, as are anti-inflammatory drugs and pain management medications.

Most patients will be advised to remain in bed and move as little as
possible until the spasms cease. In some cases, this will be the only
thing they can do anyway.

Back Spasm Tips

Relax and breathe. I know it hurts. I
have experienced this terrible oppressive pain countless times. The
best thing to do is to simply relax and allow the pain to pass. Do not
assume that you will be in pain for days or weeks.

An enlightened approach to care suggests that patients try to
move around occasionally and conservatively while resting the muscles.